Vibration-Resistant Turntables

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Originally Posted by Down Under

I had a Gingko platform under my Superscoutmaster and it made a very substantial difference.
You will not be disappointed and the value for money improvement is high.

Then I look forward to seeing what the Gingko will do with my VPI even more.

[mulveling]

I've got a suspended wood floor, and though it's not nearly as lightweight and springy as a typical residential suspended floor (it's in an old commercial building), it can still pose issues like footfalls, feedback at high volumes, etc.

I went first from a SOTA Star on a crappy rack, to a Clearaudio Innovation on same crappy rack, and now finally to a Innovation Master on an obscenely exotic rack (CMS Maxxum). Looking back, I think my original Innovation upgrade was held back a lot by that old rack. It was still an upgrade in many ways, but the SOTA handled the environmental challenges a LOT better. Filling the old rack's legs with lead shot damped some of the high frequency ringing, but didn't help at all with the other stuff. Placing a maple platform under the table helped a little but, but not a lot. I feel that a mass loaded turntable should have a rigid support structure underneath it -- so I investigated the Gingko route, but never pulled the trigger. The high-end rack has cured all my ills, but then...$$$$$.

SOTAs are great for challenging scenarios! I probably would've been better off with a new SOTA Cosmos over the Innovation Wood, until I could get that CMS rack.

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Originally Posted by mulveling

I've got a suspended wood floor, and though it's not nearly as lightweight and springy as a typical residential suspended floor (it's in an old commercial building), it can still pose issues like footfalls, feedback at high volumes, etc.

I went first from a SOTA Star on a crappy rack, to a Clearaudio Innovation on same crappy rack, and now finally to a Innovation Master on an obscenely exotic rack (CMS Maxxum). Looking back, I think my original Innovation upgrade was held back a lot by that old rack. It was still an upgrade in many ways, but the SOTA handled the environmental challenges a LOT better. Filling the old rack's legs with lead shot damped some of the high frequency ringing, but didn't help at all with the other stuff. Placing a maple platform under the table helped a little but, but not a lot. I feel that a mass loaded turntable should have a rigid support structure underneath it -- so I investigated the Gingko route, but never pulled the trigger. The high-end rack has cured all my ills, but then...$$$$$.

SOTAs are great for challenging scenarios! I probably would've been better off with a new SOTA Cosmos over the Innovation Wood, until I could get that CMS rack.

I had been looking at SOTAs but got fixed on the Pro-Jects, as changing belts on the SOTAs seemed to be a pain. However, if I'm willing to go refurbished rather than new, I could get a Cosmos and put an SME 309 on it. I could live with that, I think! I'd just double-check the measurements to be sure it fits my rack.

Speaking of that, I thought about my racks based on your post. They're only Sanus Euros, which was what I could afford. Who knows, perhaps I'll look for something else at some point, but for now I have what I have.

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While I'm thinking about the racks and looking at my wallet, I might not be able to go further than the Salamander Synergy line. The Sanus Euros are great, in that their modular construction is both flexible and stylish. However, I think they're not all that sturdy in my situation. I can thump them near the top and they'll vibrate some. Footfalls don't bother my other equipment, just the turntable.

I'm hoping the Gingko platform comes soon, that may tell some tales for me. If the Gingko doesn't help my VPI, then I guess I'll look to the equipment racks next.

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The Gingko arrived today. Here it is in its box. I don't know if I'll get a chance to set it up, as this means reconfiguring both the rack and my C2300 also, and I may not have time to do that before heading out for the holidays on Monday. Perhaps it will help stability of the Euro rack to shorten it some; I can do that by making the middle shelf a 5-incher; that will take 3" off the height. I will then be going over to the preamp's phonostage, which means re-tubing the MM section and removing my Aragon 47k from the setup. Then, of course, setting up the Gingko and putting my VPI on top of it and seeing how things go.

My best chance to do all that anytime soon is probably Sunday, but at some point I'd need to begin prep for the next day's flight out. So, all this audio stuff may well wait until I get back from down south.

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Brief update: The Gingko arrived 12/15, but when I opened the box, one of the corners on the platform had suffered damage in shipping. I e-mailed Vinh Vu and we had a nice exchange. We even spoke by phone (he called me!). The upshot is, when I get back from vacation (which is where I am now) I'll set up the Cloud 11 and see if it solves or helps the footfall problem. If not, I can return the Cloud 11 and that's it. If I keep it, then Mr. Vu would either send me a new platform (I could just chuck the defective one) or walk me through glueing the broken-off piece back on; I also could keep the platform as is with a $100 discount, as performance isn't impacted by the defect. There's even a chance he'd come by personally and check things out, as he has a daughter in Brooklyn he'd need to drop off. That's nice of him, but I'd have to clean up! There are other options beyond the Cloud 11 for improving stability and rigidity, apparently.

I might explore spikes for the rack while I'm at it as well. I'm not sure if Sanus Euro racks have the option.

[robd2]

One more data point for you. xtension 10 owner here with it sitting on a fairly cheap rack. No problems with vibrations, that I know of anyway... The feet on this TT are great isolators. This includes people dancing around the room while its playing.

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Originally Posted by robd2

One more data point for you. xtension 10 owner here with it sitting on a fairly cheap rack. No problems with vibrations, that I know of anyway... The feet on this TT are great isolators. This includes people dancing around the room while its playing.

You might enjoy this, then. I've watched it multiple times. I'd prefer a detachable headshell, but was told I'd have to go to the Xtension 12 to get that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpqsZRBsSlA

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I installed the Cloud 11 on Wednesday and have played a couple of LPs so far. On the first one there was what sounded like a footfall-related skip, but it was followed immediately by the stylus being stuck in the groove, so I'm not ready to conclude that a footfall was the culprit.

I'm hoping to play a few more LPs this weekend (two is a small sample) and see if anything develops. I might clean that first record from Wednesday and play it again to see if there's a change. My inclination, unless something significant emerges, is to keep the Cloud 11 and take Mr. Vu up on his gracious offer of a new platform (a corner broke off the one I have during shipping) or keeping the current one for a discount.

One challenge here is to resist the instinctive tendency to tread gingerly when walking; that's not a true test for the Cloud 11.

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Ok. Since the previous post I've played four more LPs, and experienced no footfall issues. I tried not to walk around too gingerly, and was better with that yesterday. I have decided to keep the Gingko Cloud 11, and Mr. Vu has agreed graciously to replace the damaged top platform, per his earlier offer. I think the broken platform would mess with me whenever I thought of it.

Does this rule out replacing the VPI Mk. IV? No, but it does mean I don't have to be in a hurry about it. Besides, my wallet will be a major factor in that, as I have other more important things to address. Still, if things go well and money agrees later in the year (doubtful at the moment), I might well go for a SOTA or Pro-Ject.